MovieChat Forums > The Many Saints of Newark (2021) Discussion > So happy they put so much focus on race ...

So happy they put so much focus on race in this movie

posted 3 years ago by TheGutterMonkey (298)
31 replies | jump to latest

As we all know, The Sopranos was largely focused on the trials and tribulations of the black community, so it felt very important to spend half the movie on this. I mean, we've been away from these characters for so long and likely won't ever get to see them again, so, it's good that such a hefty portion of our short 2-hour reunion with them should be devoted to this. Not to mention, race and the history of racism in America, obviously, is a topic that's so rarely spoken about in movies or TV shows (especially these days) so it's great that they decided to shine some awareness on the topic as opposed to strictly focusing on the origins of the Soprano crime family.

[–] JohnnyDoe (1887) 3 years ago

Are they planning something on black gangsters?

[–] SweetTooth43 (2052) 3 years ago

*Said with heavy sarcasm*

[–] bistritapcv (1843) 3 years ago

Do I detect the slightest note of sarcasm?

[–] R_Kane (15828) 3 years ago

You detect a very labored, leaden, pedestrian and puerile ATTEMPT at sarcasm, which the OP probably—mistakenly—thinks is satire, and then leaps to another mistaken conclusion: that all satire is funny. Read Swift’s Modest Proposal and tell me where the laughs are.

People who aren’t clever and funny should not try to be either one.

[–] MiguelGordon (528) a year ago

Exactly Kane, well put.

This idiot OP is just another addition to my ignore list.

Sick and tired of racially obsessed whiners using these movie discussion boards to cry about every scene of a film with a black guy in it.

[–] millsey72 (10334) a year ago

How many people are now on your ignore list?

[–] bistritapcv (1843) 3 years ago

[deleted]

[–] bistritapcv (1843) 3 years ago

I am not sure it was so bad to have the black gangsters, if that is realistically what it would have been like for the crime families back then. Did not see much in the "Godfather" though.

[–] TheArgentinian (7090) 3 years ago

Right. The Sopranos is about white men who treat minorities and women like shit.

[–] SweetTooth43 (2052) 3 years ago

Exactly, where was that at?

[–] tom8 (3119) 3 years ago

in his own sick racist mind

[–] McQualude (4231) 3 years ago

Thousands of cultures around the world reduced to black, white, red, and yellow, so woke.

[–] TheArgentinian (7090) 3 years ago

Well yeah, race is a thing.

[–] BourbonKing (5777) 3 years ago

I grew up with Italians in California and many of them were racist towards anyone who wasn't like them. I have no problem with this movie exploring the historicity of the Newark riots, which really happened and isn't some shoehorned social justice ploy by HBO or Chase. It really reveals a lot about posters who are uncomfortable about America's racist past and present and they'd rather watch media that glosses over reality in all aspects. I guess that's why shitty super hero movies are all the rage now because people can't cope.

This post isn't even directed at Rigthwingers either, plenty of Leftwingers want to rewrite history and leave out the ugly stuff.

[–] TheGutterMonkey (298) 3 years ago

Yes, because superhero movies are so anti-woke (lol).

If this were any other topic than race, people would acknowledge how absurdly over-talked about it is and how its repeated, incessant inclusion in film and TV currently has reached gimmicky extents. It's a trendy topic at the moment and it's transparently obvious that this is the reason it's constantly being put front and center in so much of our entertainment. Heck, even the Watchmen series was all about evil racists and racism of America's past (Dr. Manhatten was even made to be a black guy; which, mind you, would be decried and boycotted as "whitewashing" if it were the other way around). I couldn't even watch a new Netflix series about Vampires (Midnight Mass) without, once again, having to hear about the evils of racism. It's everywhere. It's hack. And I, by the way, am not a rightwinger. I'm a liberal.

It's nothing short of straw-manning to imply that it's due to racism or not being able to cope with history that people would be bothered by this. Because that is absolutely not the case. That's just cartoonishly demonizing an opposing opinion. This is about hamfisted messages and attempts at advocacy and bringing "awareness" (to topics that if you weren't aware of by now, you'll never be) taking precedent over actual storytelling.

As an example: I'm not a fan of the absurd amounts of homosexual characters in The Walking Dead, either, despite the fact of having been a very strong supporter of gay rights and more normalization of (realistic) homosexual characters on TV for most of my life. So it's not because I hate gays that I disagree with TWD doing this. It's because it's obvious WHY they're doing this. And the reality of that is hurting my suspension of disbelief for the story as much as it would if I were forced to see one hamfisted product placement after another in an episode. It's gotten to the point that it's corny and eye-roll-inducing. And ditto with what they've done here on The Sopranos.

[–] Stratego (30535) 3 years ago

Exactly, it's really no different than the propaganda of one of those Kirk Cameron movies.

[–] BeaSouth (3319) 3 years ago

Articulate, cogent, and persuasive post.

[–] acidraindrop (3055) 3 years ago

Midnight Mass did not decry the horrors of racism. It touched on religious intolerance as padt of its overaching meditation (and attack) on organized religion.

The Sheriff's spiel about working in NYC after the towers fell was not about racism per se. . The two themes simply overlap.

[–] SlackerInc (1101) 3 years ago

I agree that there is too much wokeness shoehorned into many Hollywood productions. But I don’t see it in this movie, at all.

[–] TheGutterMonkey (298) 3 years ago

Well, granted, it's not quite as over the top as most things these days. And perhaps it's a bit of hypersensitivity at play, due to having to see such things so often now (my woke radar is at an all-time high lol). So some bias may admittedly be involved here.

That being said, one wouldn't have normally expected that the long-awaited Sopranos movie would've had such a significant portion of its short 2-hour story devoted to up-and-coming black mobsters and racial events in America's history. Not to say these aren't interesting topics at all, but nothing would have suggested to me that The Sopranos, of all things, would be the one covering this, as such topics have never really been too significant a part of their story. Yes, it's been touched on a little during the 86-or-so hours, but only the smallest amount. Not enough for it to warrant having a center stage on this anticipated reunion.

Due to this, it seems to me that it's likely this was done due to the current state of events over the last several years, in regards to race, rather than to actually assist in making the movie's particular plot any better. In the best case, in an attempt to shine "awareness" on racial issues (yet another) because they're trying to be relevant. In the worst, to capitalize on a currently trending topic because, well... it's trendy.

And, in my opinion, it takes away from the movie quite a bit. When I heard a Sopranoes prequel was coming out, I naturally assumed its focus would be on The Sopranos and that the events in the film would all be to serve their story. But with this, in a lot of ways, it felt like this movie should've just been its own thing -- with no connection to The Sopranoes -- if this were the direction they were going to take with it. And, really, it felt so disconnected from the show much of the time that it very well could've been with only a few tweaks. It left me wondering: why was this even made if this is how they were going to do it?

[–] SlackerInc (1101) 3 years ago

Chase originally wanted to make a movie about National Guardsmen in the Newark riots. He probably had to make it at least partly about Sopranos characters to get funding.

[–] Tongue (472) 2 years ago

Yes but after a year of dealing with the George Floyd riots, what made Chase think we were interested in seeing what led to another earlier round of race riots? Talk about terrible timing ..

Ultimately, many saints of Newark seems pointless. It isn’t enjoyable on any front - I would rather it had never been made

[–] SlackerInc (1101) 2 years ago

I mean, some people would say it makes the movie more relevant that we had a fresh round of riots. A lot of people get more interested in seeing stuff on screen if it is "ripped from the headlines".

[–] tom8 (3119) 3 years ago

😄